Wonderful doco. You have to remember that these were shot with bulky 16mm film cameras that required multiple changes of film. Richard Tucker, the cinematographer, did an exceptional job. I particularly liked the the verbal complaining and haranguing by the crew to each other. 'Get the bloody pole.' What a handful of a boat.
Seems in 1967, by the way the main sails were twisting, the 18 footers had yet to invent the boom vang. (Its the device which controls the boom from lifting, esp down wind. )
The boom vang certainly had been invented. The reason may have been that they were vastly over canvassed as sail area was not penalised and it would give you a massive advantage in light winds. The twist would enable you to depower particularly high up where the leverage is greatest. From the film they also still seem to be traditionally built in wood so the structure cannot support the massive beam and hence greater power of their modern equivalents.
